At a time when cities are looking to remake their downtowns, many are redefining their city centers as distinct neighborhoods instead of just employment and entertainment centers.
While cities have been losing families for years, a trend accelerated by the pandemic, it’s critical to make room for those who would choose to live downtown, as a wide mix of residents works best in creating a true community.
Vancouver has been at the forefront of working to attract families since the late 1970s. Thousands of kids now call downtown home. The city offers an enticing cocktail of walkable amenities – modern schools, community centers, parks, shopping and arts and culture offerings.
Meet Allison Wert, describing why after growing up in US suburbs, she and her family chose to live in downtown Vancouver after arriving from a stint in Hong Kong:
Our Episode 4, Family Ties, is all about how to attract families with children downtown. We cover family housing, downtown schools and kid magnets, major attractions that draw families into city centers from around a metropolitan area and beyond.
The playground in downtown Vancouver’s Emery Barnes Park is below:
An outdoor concert on the old locomotive turntable at the Roundhouse Community Centre in central Vancouver is below:
The new Seaside Elementary School is below several floors of social housing in downtown Vancouver’s Coal Harbour. It is one of three modern elementary schools in the city center – all oversubscribed – with a fourth in the works:
Fruit displays at the Granville Island Public Market below:
Check out our work and let us know what you think, suggest stories and introduce us to people we should know about. Contact us.
This post is adapted from our biweekly newsletter. Read the original newsletter.
Read our previous post: How Pittsburgh Cleaned Its Air After the War.
